Transfer mechanism



W. TRAVELL.

TRANSFER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 020.27. I918.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

FiG.5

INVENTOR BY WARREN TRAVELL. cl it H; Ahat WARREN rnavnt or KEV/"YORK, N. Y.

'rnansrnn MECHANISM.

Applie ation filed December 27,- 1918. serial No. 268,576.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN TRAvnLL, a

citizen ofthe United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Transfer Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to improvementsin hoisting and traversing apparatus. More particularly it relates to skip hoists. Hitherto skip hoists have commonly been ar ran ed in two separate mechanisms, one to hoist and dump, and another to receive at the elevated level, convey to the desired dis tance and thereto dump; or else have been arranged in pairs on parallel ways, with two parallel hoisting and traversing portions, and two cars, one on each, joined by a cable passing around a drum at the top so that each car balances the Weight of the other. This obviously requires each car to travel to the end of the way in each direction in order that the other may get, or'discharge, its load at the terminus of its own way. It is an object of the invention to provide an elevating and transporting machine which shall be an improvement upon bothof these types. To that end the invention provides for doing the work with an paratus that can be loaded at various distances fronithe bottom of the hoist; that can work a single skip, double skips usually requiring apparatus which is too expensive and. of greater capacity than is necessary to handle the work at a single station; that uses but a single machine for both hoisting and transporting, instead of two machines often used hitherto for this; and to do this with the same size of hoisting en gine for the combined hoist and transporter as would according to present practice he used-on a common skip hoist alone.

It is also the object of the invention to provide the other advantages that are char acteristic of the construction disclosed.

In the accompanying drawings, .which illustrate one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 isa side elevation showing apparatus embodying the invention, more or less diagrammatically;

F12. 2 1s aside elevation on larger scale of a detail;

Specification of Letters Patent. iliat t fl steam engine.

3 "is an end elevation of the same detail and r Fig. a is a side elevation similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification. I The drawings represent apparatus having a way 10, represented as a pair of rails I forming a track, having a portion which is nearly vertical for the. hoist, being inclined so that a skip 11 rising along it rests against it and having another portion' extending horizontally or approximatelyso for the traverse motion. This latter may extend to any desired distance. In the, form of the invention to which Figs 1, 2 and 3 apply it is horizontal.

-l applies it is so approximately horizontal that it is herein referred to as horizontal being horizontal in effect, so far as the traverse action is concerned, but is really slightly inclined for a purpose and in a way hereinafter explained.

The skip 11 may consist of a receptacle of any suitable type equipped with wheels 12 adapted to travel on the way. The whole is suitably positioned with respect to load ing chutes 13 or 13. Attached to the skip a hauling rope 14 which passes over suitable sheaves 15 to a power controlleddrum 16, around -which it is vrapped. This drum may be driven by any suitable, means, not shown, such as an electricmotor or a From the drum a rope which is so arranged as to be practically acontinuation of the hauling rope, but which for convenience of reference ishere given the distinguishing reference numeral 9. extends to a counterweight 17 and passes under a sheave on this counterweight. This, called the large or skipebalancing counterweight,

is preferably su'fiiciently heavy to. balance nearly the entire weight of the skip while the skip is on the hoisting portion of its way'; or else heavy enough to vbalance the skip and half of its usual. load. From it the continuation of hauling rope -9 passes up to and over a fixed sheave18,' forming the bight supporting the large counterweight 17 and then passes under the sheave of another counterweight 19; herein referred to as the rope counterweight, which hangs in another 'bight in the rope, and is passed to a fastening as at 20. The function of. this latter counterweight-is to, take up slack rope in the form to which Fig.

" when the ship is on the horizontal or traverse portion of its travel.

For clearness of illustration it is shown as being separate from r the counterweight 17. but it is not necesr 17 is arrested ashereinafter described.

any other arrangement by Which a part of illustrated in Figsand suit bl L;

into 'en 'a 'ei'nent' therewith 7 till supported upon either se A} or cording" to Which is ii'orwarti. of the sarily so. The pair of counterweights make a certain total pull on the rope, part 0t which ceases When the descent of the weight the total pull ceases when the skip reaches the top of its vertical rise "would sutlice, for example; it" the total counterweight hung together (in-the rop'e gand were so arranged that on gettingdown to a certain point part in? the Weight settled upon support, leaving the reduced weight to continuedownward while the skip traversed the horizontal part of the Way.

The distance of travel coiiinterWeightsl7 and 19 m be shortened or. lengthened by using s igle', double. part reeving of rope 9.-

A third counterweight 21 herein u 'i the hack traverse counterweight, is supported in a bight of anotherrope one-end oi? which is fast-at a point 23211111 the other end of which passes over a sheave illusti as being at the same locality, and tached to a movable traverse bar 25. T

traverse bar finds a position of rest in a' pocket 26 adapted to engage and'hold it when it IS guided thereto by suitable means on the skip hereinafter to l)e"L.QSCl'lbQ-1l.

This pocket stop for thetraverse bar'is located at the junction between the hoisting; and traversing part of the way 10, so that WVllGll the skip is on the hoisting portion ot its Way, going in either direction or stationary, the ship is free and clear of the counteriveight 21. T he pocket may consist oi" a pair of simple angular recesses as clcarle t in ported and braced as to arres the traverse her 25 Whoa-revert provided. with similar pociets ttorm oi a, pair t a nular proper elevation on th v. skip. adapted to-enga-gz c the bar the pockets 26 are adapted to These pockets, 26 and botlio forward direction or traverse;

It cannot escape to fall out because a; pull of rope 22, which .lzeep it iest part of the pocket in t in rection in which that rope is U i11 Assuming that the parts are at rest in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, with the skip at the bottonrof its hoist a the counterweight 21 at the bottom of its tail, sustained there by the enorqement o't trayerse bar in the poor; ail-1i assuming: that the skip then begins its hoist and travcnd of the l.

But

ward as soon it relea ed.

Y terwei scend as fast 1 the rope permits.

erse movement, the hoist is comifleted without atlfect ngz' th counterweight; but at the oist the pocket 9!, coming from behind. engages the traverse bar and carries it forward out of the pocket as the skip IHOVQS onward to whatever distance he slrip travels, as for example. to the position illustrated in dotted lines at the right of Fig 1'. In so doing the draft of the rope 22 raises the back traverse counterweight L1. '1 his counterweight is sufliciently heavy to overcome ordinary causes of retardation, such as friction and minor irregularities in the level of tracle and to drag the skip oaci; item its dotted line position to the head. of the hoist. 'Automatic means for moving; the

skip backward. along the horizontal partoi its Way is thus provided... because the counterweight is constantly. pulling through the rope Q32, and the skip will start back- In so doing, the traverse lea-r will-engage the fixed pocket 26 irhenit reaches it, a rd the pocket on the ship Fill go on empty from there, the ship being relieved of tee counteruei ht 21 as soon RS it reaches the head of the hoist.

hoist and is about to proceed on its traverse.

' As the skip proceeds, the rope 9 passes idly around the sheave attached to this counter- 'WGIK ht and around the sheave. 18, paying out SlLUK which taken up by the rope counter {Weight 19. much l This rope counterweight is so igh er then-the skip-balancing coune ht 3"? that the latter holds it at its upinost .lii 't of travel until the coraterwright 17 has settled down upon its support 28, after which the counterweight 19 can dethe paying out oi SlflCli in The operation of the device as a Whole is as iSOllQW SZ The ship being loaded and at bottom. oit its hoist the o 'iera-tor sets the hoisting drum in motion in c irectiou to raise the ship and. more it forward on the i traverse and the drum is continued under power until the ship has reached the point Where it is to be dumped by any suitable means. it that point power is shut off and I may remain so until the skip has been loaded again at the bottom of its hoist, the return l ins: automatic. During; the cycle thus acshed the ship was raised over the 1 mg part of its Way, picked up the traverse bar 25 at the top of its hoist,v carcomes into action.

ried that bar along with it on the traverse, incidentally raising the counterweight 21, was pulled backward by the counterweight 21, and descended the hoist by its own weight. During the rise of the skip the power had to raise notmuch more than the weight of the load: within the skip, for the weight of the skip itself was largely balanced by the counterweight 1T. During the horizontal part of the travel the-load re quired no raising, and the skip none, but the power had to raise the counterweight 21, incidental friction being neglected.- The counterweight'l9 being less than the counterweight 21, does not interfere with the re turn. The counterweight 21 draws the skip lj ackward on the'horizont-al track, raising the counterweight 19, until the latterreaches the top limit of it's travel. and the skip reaches the'top of its hoist, and the coun-. terweight 21' reaches its lower limit of travel where it is held by engagement of the traverse bar with the fixed pocket 26, all-oi? which points are reached approximate]y simultaneously. Then gravity begins to draw the skip down the hoist, the counterweight 17 rising Simultaneously. 'The nearly balanced arrangement of parts makes the movement easy to control by brake on the drum.

If des1red,the counterweight 17 may be made heavier than the skip, so that it, for

example, balances the skip and half of its load. In that case less power is needed at the drum, and it will be used'i'luring both directions of travel. On the rising of the skip it has to lift only half of the load, the other half and the skip itseltbeing balanced by the large counterweight 17. On the descent it hasto raise that part of the weight of the counterweight 17 which is not balanced by the weight of the empty skip 11.

Fig. '4 illustrates a modification in which what is herein called the horizontal part of'the track is only approximately so, and in fact gently inclined u nvard from the top of the hoist. By this construction the skip itself performs the function of the counterweight '21, and gravity takes the car bacl tward along the gently inclined horizental or traverse part until the t'op of the hoist is reached when the counterweight 1'7 Numerous variations may be made from the specific construct-ion and" ar1'angement of apparatus illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention. It is'in tended'to'corer in this patent whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed, barring the structure of skip, which. forms the subject matter of, a

separate copending application for'patent.

As the claimsrefer to the rope 9 m'erely as a continuation of the rope l t, I desire to mention particularly that thereinay'be various-andequivalent arrangements within the inea'ning'oi this phrase without these ropes being physically continuous or even contiguous. The structure shown diagrammatically in Figs. 1' and l may be taken as representing them all, as the main idea in this respect is that as the hauling rope 14.

is wouiul on the drum, itsextension 9 is at.

the same time unwound and paid out. The rope 9 may be physically continuous with the hauling rope 1-1 'orit may b separately attached to drum 16 but wound on in a direction opposite to the. winding thereon of rope 14;; or it may be wound on aseparate drum connected with drum 16, so'that as rope -14 is wound on drum 16, rope 9 is unwound" and paid out from its drum and in diameters.

' Ic'laim as'my invention v r 1. In transfer mechanism, the combination of a way having a llOlStflHCl a traverse portion, a skip adapted to move thereon, a

counterweight for the skip while it is on the hoist-way, means continuously connecting the counterweight to the skip, means to relieve the. skip of the pull of the counterweight when the skip reaches the top of the hoist-way, and'a power device operating to draw theskip up the hoist-way and along the traverse-way. 1

2.111 transfer mechanism, the combinati'on of a way having hoist and a traverse portion; a skip adapted to'inovethereon; a rope, and power means applicable thereto for drawing the skip over the'hoist-way and traverse-way; there being a continuation of the rope paid out by said drawing means; a coi'intcrwe-ight hanging on said continuation rope and assisting the drawing means;

the traverse-way and another counterweight on said continuation, less than tl'ie first, and arrai'iged to descend and take up slack of rope after arrest of descent of theh'rst mentioned counterweight.

42. 111 transfer mechanism, the conibination of a way. havi'i'ig a hoist and atraverse portion, a skip, and means including a rope to move itthereon a counterweight and second rope to draw the skip backward over the trayeis'e-way; and two devices, registerthis'c'ase the two drums may be of different r; en the skip passes from the hoist-way to i a o ing together, one fixed facing forward on a the skip and the other stationarily fixed far ing likewise at a positionwhich the skip passes as it, passes b:

devices is adaptedto pick tip-from the other the rope holding said counterweight; where by the 'ShliP and counterweight inter-act while the skip is on the traverse-way and not while it'is on the hoist-way.

5. In transfer mechanism, the combination of a way having a hoist and a traverse portion, a; skip, and neans including a rope to move it thereon; a counterweight and second rope to draw the skip backward'over the traversewiry; and two devices, register? ing together, one fixed "faciiig forward. on the skip and the otherstationarilv fined facing likewise at a position which the skip passes. as it passes backward from. the tra erse way tothe' hoist-way,each ofwhieh devices is adaptedto pick up from the other.

" the rope holding said counterweight; whereby the skip and counterweight inter-act while the skip is on the traverse-way and not while it is on the hoist-way; there being a continuation of said first rope, beyondand paid out by, the said moving means; and a counterweight forthe skip thereon arranged and adapted to act whenthe-skip is on the hoist-way and be arrested from descent when the skip'ison the traverse-way,

, 6. In single skip transf r nechanisin, the combinatlon of a way having a hoist and a traverse portion, a skip and a power dGVlCQ to move it thereon; a weight approximating" the'weight of the skip arranged, to pull on the power device and ass1st t when the skip is on the hoist-way, but be free therefrom wvhen it is on the traverse way; and a separate and sn'ialler counterweight arranged and adapted to be raised. as the skip moves forward on the traverse-way and to descend, drawing the skip, as the skip moves backward over the traverse-way, and means 'whereby said counterweight is disconnected mg its rope,as the skip moves forward; and fixed means beside the way adapted to engage said bar whileheld by the skip moving backward, and to hold it while the skip continues down thehoist-way.

8. In. transfer mechanism, the coinb-ination of way having a hoist and a traverse portion, a skip and means to move it thereon; a counterweight and rope arranged to ward from the traverseeva'y to the ho1st-way, each of whlch forward portion thereof; and being oppose the forward movement of the skip on the traverse way; a bar, on, said rope,

arranged across the wa and pockets, on

the skip and liked beside the way, opening forward, "registering together as the skip passes the fixed point, each set being adapted to engage saidibar'while-it is held by the other at such passing. In transfer" mechanism, the combination of a way having a hoist anda traverse 1 portion, a. skip, and means to move it thereon; a counterweight and rope ar'anged to oppose the forward movement of the skip on the traverse-way; a bar on said rope, arranged across the way; and pockets, on the ward, registering togetheras the skip passes the fixed point, eachset 'being adapted to engagesaid bar while it is held'by the other at such passing; said pockets being in duplicate on'the skip, one on each side of the in duplicate one at each side of the way at the fixed point with the skip passing between them.

10. In transfer mechanism, the combination of a single track way, having hoist and horizontal traverse portions; a skip adapted to run thereon, and a rope and drawing .ieans therefor; a skip-balancing counterweight arranged to draw while the car rises on the hoist-way; and a second counterweight arranged to take up rope slack while the car advances along the horizontal way; ath rd counterweight sediment to draw the war backward over the horizontal portion of the way; vand means whereby the skip picks up the third counterweightat the top oft-the hoist-way while moving forward, and is freed from the same at the same point while moving backward. v f V 11. In transfer mechanism, the combination of a single track way,'having hoist and horizontal traverse portions; the horizontal way and hoist-way being of diverse lengths,

a skip adapted to run thereon, and a rope and drawing means therefor; asldp-balancing counterweight arranged to draw while the car rises on the hoist-way; and a second counterweight arranged to take up rope. slack while the car advances along the-horizontal way. I

12. In transfer H16Cl1a11l5111,d3h0 combination of way having a hoist and a traverse portion, a skip and means to move it thereon; and; a pairof counterweights, one of which is adapted for the skip and the inclination of the hoist-w ay, and the other for the skip and the forces tending to draw it backward on the traverse-way, each being arranged to operate only 1n its own respective partof the way.- V In transfer mechanism, therombmation of away having a hoist and a traverse P01171011; a "sklp, and a rope with power means for controlling its position thereon;

a continuation of the rope beyond the power means; and compound counterweight apparatus thereon, the compounded parts being arranged to absorb and pay out rope with heavy pull while the skip is on the hoist-way, and with lighter pull while it is on the traverse-way.

14-. A transfer mechanism, organized as a complete system with a single skip and a single way having hoist and traverse portions, comprising, in combination with the said skip and Way, a power device and a rope continuously connected for drawing and holding the skip; a counterweight an ranged to balance the weight of the skip when the skip is on the hoisting portion; and means relieving the skip of the said counterweight when the said skip is on the traverse.

Signed by me at New York this 6th day of April, 1918.

WARREN TRAVELL. Witnesses J. WILLARD TRAVELL, J. D. TRAVELL. 

